New Spoon Doll

Well after last weeks episode when Gordon was sold I decided to look at the spoon doll technique again and try a Santa doll. Here is the result............


I am so pleased! This is such an easy way to make a Santa.
I would love to submit the pattern into one of the magazines and have tried to contact Australian Dolls Bears and Collectibles - but to no avail. After 2 phone calls and 3 emails - no follow up. I have been trying since February to submit. Obviously they consider me to be a dipstick. I am really upset about this. So I am going to push it and be annoying. It just makes me wonder if it is worth it. I don't beleive I am not good enough, I haven't even been given a chance. Anyway I have another trick up my sleeve - let's see if this works......................

Gordon

Last week I was contacted by a collector who had purchased one of my previous polymer clay dolls. That doll was made by a method I discovered on the website of the fabulous Jill Willich
http://www.studiowillich.com/
Jill creates spoon dolls which are types of goblins and fairies sculpted over wooden spoons. She has a turorial on her site and being the creature I am, I tried her technique. My first goblin fellow was Fergus, who caught a fish. I have no photo of him but he had a lot of character and was very likeable, hence he sold rather quickly. The second character I made was gordon and he told me he loved to collect rocks..........


I didn't think he was going to ever be sold and out of the blue this wonderful lady contacts me and wants to purchase him. So Gordon has been sold, and now I am thinking about making more of this type of doll. I make Santas and I will attempt to create a pattern for one and see how it goes. Anyway here are more pictures of Gordon.......

South Australian Doll & Bear Show

Well I did my best........I was given information at very short notice we (the cloth doll club) could have a free space at what I consider the best show for dolls, bears and collectors in Adelaide. As you can see it was only one trestle table and fortunatley many of my dollmaking friends supplied their favourite dolls. There is a very special dinner with an auction that raises funds for a childrens' charity which is such a good night, music, three course dinner, dancing and of course the auction which is so much fun I always come home with lovely teddy bears.

I will post a pic later.

Naturally, there is a competiton as well for dolls and bears. I decided to enter a doll which had been patiently waiting in my studio for clothing for 12 months. She just came together when I decided to enter the comp and as you can see she won best original doll and best original in the show! She is sculpted from air dry clay with an armatured body. Her little marionette is wood. I am very pleased. I even won some money ($100) - which I promptly spent at the show. It was a good weekend and such a great opportunity to showcase what can be done with cloth to make character dolls.

cloth doll group

Well, today was AGM for the Fabric of Society doll group here in South Australia.
I put my hand up to do the newsletter, which may well take up more time than I thought, but I need to start to be more interactive with other dollmakers. Doll making and design can be very solitary work. It is actually good to socialise with like minded people who can encourage and inspire you. The doll group has been in a bit of a rut lately. Not many members bring in show and tell and there seems to be a move toward other crafts like beading and mixed media techniques. Being a mixed media artist I accept that those skills are what can make a doll wow - but it is really the doll that is the star - not the amount of stuff you can stick on it. I just want to see some enthusiasm for dolls and all the different types of dolls that can be made. That is just my two cents worth today. In the meantime I am psyching myself up to do a workshop in my home studio. I have a lot of work to do between now and Xmas and start planning for next year. I need to come out of the shadows and show my work, because I think I have found my style and medium, but if no-one sees it why do it? I think dolls can give a lot of pleasure and many times my dolls have made me smile with their quirky personalities. Even just holding a dolly in your arms is a comfort thing that must take you back to childhood days............ I love dolls. I plan to make lots more..............

Early work

Another early work that

I wanted to release as a
pattern but it seems

there is a plethora of witches
out there.

I may list her on ebay

with a few other early works

that may find happy homes.

Little character dolls

Here are some killed projects that never really made it. They are polymer and made from commercial molds. All are less than 10'' high and I liked them, but they never sparked any interest from the public so now they are "in the artist's private collection".

I have no body..............

A clay sculpt I worked on around Xmas last year. A work in progress that never got finished.

Well I have been in excruciating pain from a pinched nerve in my shoulder. I finally decided to see the chiropractor and lo and behold he fixed it. I am feeling much better. I haven't worked on any of my projects for a while and I get withdrawl so I will get back to it tomorrow.........

Little Lottie

Here is Little Lottie - at this stage she has a weak chin so I will adjust this and get her ready for painting. I find this process very scary.............I feel like I don't know what I am doing, I just want to try this technique. As soon as this doll is finished I will have to start another to just get my confidence up that it works.......

Polly and her dolly

When I made this doll she looked so forlorn, I actually painted
the rims of her eyes red because she looked so upset.
She is Miss Polly with a sick dolly.

Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick sick sick

So she rang for the doctor to come quick quick quick

The doctor came with his bag and his hat

And he knocked on the door with a rat-tat-tat-tat

He looked at the dolly and he shook his head

He said Miss Polly put her straight to bed

He wrote on a paper for a pill pill pill

I'll be back in the morning with my bill bill bill

Princess

This is my version of the Princess and the frog. I planned to release her as a pattern, but I am not sure if there are too many princesses out there kissing frogs. She is a mask face doll, cloth over clay. What do you think?